Brooke Houts, now don't swat me for this

In My Humble Opinion
1

There’s a YouTuber named Brooke Houts that in big big trouble but not legally apparently. She will not face animal cruelty charges for swatting her dog on a video she mistakenly uploaded to her channel.

And I can breathe a big sigh of relief. Because, yes, I have swatted my cats a time or two. Usually when I am fighting them off my chicken dinner. It doesn’t stop them at all from trying to grab the Pope’s Nose and whatever else they can get.

I watched the supposed “horrifying” video, expecting to see something disturbing and disgusting because everyone who presented it gave somber warnings before showing it in case the viewers should get upset. And I gotta tell ya. It’s nothing to freak out about.

Yes, she swats the dog, lightly, once. She pushes the dog down and spits on it. Okay, the spitting is kinda weird, but it’s not like the dog knows what spitting means. Seems to me that would be more upsetting to a cat but never mind.

There are a few minutes when she’s behind a wall out of sight with the dog, and who knows what’s happening there. But there’s no hitting noises, and no yelps from the dog. You can’t just assume that she’s torturing the dog without seeing what’s going on. And the dog keeps giving play bows throughout the video.

And all of YouTube is rising up in righteous horror, calling this woman a monster.

Ummm, I don’t see it. I’ve seen people swat their large dogs in the same way, trying to get them to sit down at the vet’s.

Brooke may or may not be the best pet owner, but I wouldn’t call her an animal abuser without further proof.

2

A guy I know was training one of his dogs at a local park. A woman approached him and scolded him for the way he was correcting the dog. He was doing nothing wrong.

Instead of explaining what he was doing, he said, “Fuck off, ya dumb cunt!”. She then called the cops, who called Animal Control, who spoke with the guy. Of course he was not arrested or cited, as he had done nothing wrong. The woman, however, had his verbal outburst on video, and couldn’t believe someone could speak to her like that.

3

Hitting your dog should not be your first - or even umpteenth option. But swat most dogs w/ an open hand, and you are more likely to hurt your hand than the animal. And watch how gentle dogs are when playing w/ each other.

4

Everybody knows this is what rolled-up newspapers are for.

5

Never underestimate the determination of narcissistic busybodies. I have a friend who, years ago, installed a portable powerpack and air conditioning unit in his truck. It could keep the cab cool for his dogs for several hours while shopping/eating/etc. Despite signs and even leaving his cell # in the window, he was still accosted by self important “animal justice warriors” in parking lots. He said he finally gave up after too many do-gooders, fearing their need to act out heroic fantasies might endanger his dogs (broken glass, freed on a busy lot, etc.).